Tool support and lock

ABSTRACT

A tool support and lock for supporting and suspending a tool, such as a commercial stapler or similarly constructed tools, from a user&#39;s belt. The tool support and lock is an elongated inverted U-shaped loop having an outward diverging leg, rounded upper portion and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam portion, said diverging leg and cam portion having aligned apertures therein, said cam portion sized to frictionally engage the tool and secure the tool components from loosening and disengaging from the tool by means of a fastening device passing through the appertures into the tool.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a tool support and lock, and moreparticularly, to a support which is mounted on a tool and securely locksthe structure of the tool together, and clips on to a user's belt whichsupports and carries the tool dangling therefrom.

[0002] Workmen are known to use numerous tool holders for support andcarrying various tools on their belts. Generally, these tool supportshave been limited only to supporting and carrying the tools and nothingmore. Thus, if the structure of the tool has a tendency for itscomponents to loosen and disengage from the tool, the tool holder cannotprevent it from taking place. In many instances, this loosening anddisengagement renders the tool inoperable. This situation isparticularly true with respect to commercial staplers and othersimilarly constructed tools. With commercial staplers, a stapler armencompasses a retention spring mechanism that forces staples up throughthe arm. As depicted in FIG. 3, a flat mounting base having opposingplanar sides and a hook retainer locks into the arm and holds theretention spring under pressure within the arm. The problem is that whenusing the tool, the hook retainer has a tendency to loosen and disengagefrom its locked position. This causes the flat mounting base to fallaway from the arm making the stapler inoperable.

[0003] Accordingly, there is a need for a tool support that clips onto auser's belt which not only will support and carry tools, such ascommercial staplers and similarly constructed devices, but will alsoprevent the tool structure from loosening and falling apart.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The invention relates to a tool support and lock made from flatspring steel or similar material having an outward diverging leg, arounded upper portion, and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentriccam shaped portion, said diverging leg and cam shaped portion havingaligned apertures disposed therein. It attaches to the user's belt bymeans of its rounded upper portion clipping onto the belt by having thediverging leg on the inside and the terminal eccentric cam shaped leg onthe outside of the belt. It is secured to the tool by sliding the camportion of the opposing leg in-between the overlapping flat side of themounting base and the planar side wall of the tool structure, mounting abolt through the aligned apertures of the opposing legs and the bore inthe structure of the tool and tigthening the bolt in place with theinterposed cam portion pressing upwardly and outwardly on theoverlappedcomponents with the rounded upper portion in position to clip on to theuser's belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of the specification, illustrate a preferredembodiment of the invention and, together with a general descriptiongiven above and the detailed description the preferred embodiment givenbelow, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0006]FIG. 1 is a frontal side perspective view of the tool holder andlock according to the invention.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the tool holder and locksupported on a belt.

[0008]FIG. 3 is an exploded rear side view of a commercial stapler lyingflat depicting attaching of the tool holder and lock of the invention tothe tool.

[0009]FIG. 4 is a rear side view similar to FIG. 3 with the tool holderand lock attached in the locked position to the commercial stapler.

[0010]FIG. 5 is an upright rear side view with the tool holder and lockin the unlocked position.

[0011]FIG. 6 is an upright rear side view similar to FIG. 5 with thetool holder and lock in the ocked position.

[0012]FIG. 7 is an upright rear side view depicting the stapler attachedto the tool holder and lock supported on a workman's belt.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Reference is made in detail to the preferred embodiments of theinvention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7.

[0014] Shown in FIG. 1 is tool support and lock 10 for operativelysecuring a tool, such as a commercial stapler, onto a belt and securingthe mechanism of the tool in place. The tool support and lock 10 is madefrom flat spring steel however plastic or other metal materials can beused. The tool support and lock is bent into an elongated invertedU-shaped loop having an outward diverging leg 12, rounded upper portion14 and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam portion 16 havingan aperture 18 therein. When it is being attached to a workman's belt orother belt, it loops around the belt as shown in FIG. 2 with thediverging leg 12 on the inside of the belt.

[0015] The opposing leg with eccentric cam shaped portion has beendesigned to fit within the lower structure 20 of a commercial staplerarm 22 as depicted in FIG. 3. Generally, stapler arm 22 encompasses aretention spring mechanism that forces staples up through the arm to thetop gun portion of the device which when activated forces staples intoan object. As seen in FIG. 3, flat metal mounting base 24 includesopposing flat planar metal sides 26, hook retainer 28 and spring metalsheet 30. Flat metal mounting base 24 fits into the lower structure 20of stapler arm 22 by means of opposing side walls 26 slidingly andloosely engaging planar flat walls 36 of stapler arm 22 which allowshook 28 to frictionally engage slot 34. Mounting base 24 is furthersecured to the stapler lower structure 20 by means of bolt 38 threadedlyengaged in bore 40 by internally pressing against metal spring 30adjacent to stapler spring arm 32. However, in use mounting base 24 hasa tendency to become loose causing hook 28 to disengage from slot 34resulting in the entire mounting base to completely fall out of staplerarm lower structure 20 making the stapler inoperable.

[0016] In accordance with the present invention in improving theoperability of the commercial stapler and similarly constructed tools,there is provided tool support and lock 10 which is mounted on thestapler as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. Tool support and lock is fixedlysecured to lower stapler structure 20 by removing bolt 38 from bore 40,sliding the cam portion of opposing leg 16 in-between flat side 26 offlat base 24 and planar side wall 36 of stapler structure 20, aligningapertures 18 of the diverging leg and cam portion with bore 40, andfixedly tightening bolt 38 thrrough the apertures into the bore. As seenin FIGS. 4 and 6, the cam portion pressing upwardly against the undersurface of base wall 27 locks in place the flat base and hook 28 in slot34 so that the flat base cannot loosen or fall out with the cam portionin position. Further, the increased tightening pressure on the engagedsides 26 of the base and the planar wall 36 by the interposed camportion prevents any movement or loosening of the flat base ordisengaging of hook 38 from slot 34.

[0017] Shown in FIG. 5 is the holder and lock in the unlocked uprightposition on the tool whereas in FIG. 6 the holder and lock is in thelocked upright position. FIG. 7 depicts the commercial stapler hangingfrom the holder and lock attached to the belt of a workman.

[0018] Although the preferred embodiment has been diverted to a holderand lock for a commercial stapler, tool holder and lock 10 of theinvention is applicable to any tool having sided attachment that becomesloose during use. If there is not a bolt attachment as with the staplesa bolt or other attachment would be applicable to hold the holder andlock secured to the tool.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tool support and lock for supporting andsuspending a tool from a belt and locking components of the tool inplace, said tool having a planar wall and a releasable mounting basewith a base wall having an underside and an upright side wall whichslidingly engages said planar wall releasably engaging said tool, saidtool having a releasable fastening device mounted in a bore adjacent tosaid upright side wall, comprising the tool support and lock comprisinga flat spring sheet bent into an elongated inverted U-shaped loop havingan outward diverging leg, a rounded upper portion and an opposing legterminating in an eccentric cam portion, said diverging leg and camportion having aligned apertures therein, said eccentric cam portionsized to slide in-between and frictionally engage said upright side walland said planar wall and said underside of the mounting base, saidfastening device releasably mountable on said tool support and lockthrough said apertures into said bore, said tool support and lockreleasably mountable on said belt.
 2. A tool support and lock accordingto claim 1 wherein said tool is a commercial stapler.
 3. A tool supportand lock according to claim 1 wherein said flat spring sheet is springsteel.
 4. A tool support and lock according to claim 1 wherein saidoutwardly diverging leg is releasably mountable on the inside of thebelt.
 5. A method of mounting a tool to a belt and locking components ofthe tool in place, said tool comprising a planar wall and a releasablemounting base having a base wall with an underside and an upright sidewall which slidingly engages said planar wall releasably engaging saidtool, said tool having a releasable fastening device mounted in a boreadjacent to said upright side wall, comprising providing a tool supportand lock comprising a flat spring sheet bent into an elongated invertedU-shaped loop, having a an outwardly diverging leg, a rounded upperportion and an opposing leg terminating in an eccentric cam portion,said diverging leg and cam portion having aligned apertures therein,sliding said eccentric cam portion in-between said upright side wall andsaid planar wall and engaging said underside of the mounting base, andaligning said aperture with said bore, releasably mounting saidfastening device through said aperture and said bore.
 6. The method ofclaim 5 wherein said tool is a commercial stapler.
 7. The method ofclaim 6 wherein said fastening device is a bolt.